Nick Hartley

With a month left of conference play, the Jacks are feeling the heat. This year, the Summit League features a five-team battle for one of four playoff spots, with the top four teams receiving a shot at the Summit League title and the NCAA title in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Nov. 16 and 17.

Three teams are currently battling for the last two spots. Western Illinois, NDSU and SDSU all have a chance at the two spots. The Summit League playoff procedure for tie breakers includes: head-to-head record, game, not match winning percentages in conference and overall play, record against the top seeded team and finally, if it is still tied, a coin flip.

If conference play were to end this week, the following would make the playoffs and their seeds:

#1 Oral Roberts versus #4 SDSU

#2 IPFW versus #3 NDSU

This is the procedure that would determine last two spots:

Western Illinois misses out with a lower winning percentage in head-to-head action. The Jacks would receive the fourth seed because of a lower overall winning percentage.